Ceramics International最新文献

{"title":"Multifunctional energy conversion and storage by selective La doping in flexible BiFeO3 thin films","authors":"Yoonho Ahn,&nbsp;Jong Yeog Son","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flexible ferroelectric oxide thin films that simultaneously exhibit energy storage, piezoelectric, and photovoltaic functionalities are highly attractive for next-generation wearable and multifunctional energy devices. Here, we systematically investigate doping-dependent multifunctional responses in flexible La-doped BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films deposited on Pt/mica substrates by pulsed laser deposition. La incorporation modulates crystallinity, domain configuration, and lattice distortion, enabling selective control of multifunctional energy properties. Moderate La doping (10 mol%) maximizes remanent polarization (<em>P</em>_r ∼ 68.7 μC/cm²) and delivers superior photovoltaic performance with an open-circuit voltage of 0.56 V and a short-circuit current density of 0.45 mA/cm². At 20 mol% La, the thin film exhibits the highest piezoelectric response, generating an AC output voltage of ∼2.3 V under periodic mechanical excitation. At higher La concentrations (≥25 mol%), <em>P</em>_r is suppressed and slimmer <em>P</em>–<em>E</em> hysteresis loops are obtained; in particular, the 30 mol% La-doped film exhibits enhanced energy-storage performance with a recoverable energy density of 32.6 J/cm³, an energy storage efficiency of 78 %, and stable cycling behavior. These results demonstrate that La doping serves as an effective design parameter to selectively tailor the multifunctional properties of flexible BFO thin films. By controlling the doping concentration, a single oxide material platform can be engineered to favor photovoltaic energy conversion, piezoelectric power generation, or high-performance energy storage, indicating the applicability of flexible La-doped BiFeO₃ thin films on mica substrates to integrated flexible energy systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43648-43661"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glass foam production from waste glass and recycled carbon fibers: Synergistic role of carbon microfibers as blowing agents and possible bubble wall reinforcement","authors":"Zakim Hussain,&nbsp;Seyed Mostafa Nouri,&nbsp;Matteo Sambucci,&nbsp;Masoud Osfouri,&nbsp;Jamal-Eldin F.M. Ibrahim,&nbsp;Fabrizio Sarasini,&nbsp;Jacopo Tirillò,&nbsp;Marco Valente","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.247","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.247","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Urban glass waste powder, a major by-product of residential glass recovery processes, and secondary waste carbon fiber, an industrial waste generated during the production of woven/non-woven fabrics, both present significant recycling challenges and are often disposed of in landfills. This research aims to develop a novel, sustainable, and eco-friendly optimized approach to produce light-weight glass foam (GF) by using these wastes. A critical challenge in GF production lies in optimizing its structural and functional properties, which are linked with its closed/open porous structure, to comply with evolving application-specific performance requirements. GF, characterized by its porous microstructure and low density, is widely utilized in industrial applications due to its excellent thermal insulation, mechanical properties, and environmental benefits.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;In this study, urban waste glass (powdered form) is mixed with 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, and 1.5 wt% of powdered recycled carbon fiber (PRCF) as a foaming and reinforcing agent, while the foam structures were successfully obtained at 900 °C, 950 °C, and 1000 °C. The effects of sintering temperature, and foaming agent content using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, laser thermal constant analysis, and a universal testing machine, respectively, as the key parameters influencing foam structure, pore distribution, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, bulk density, and total porosity were investigated systematically. Furthermore, by integrating heating microscopy with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), this study offers a comprehensive understanding of carbon-fiber-induced foaming, establishing a direct correlation between carbon-fiber oxidation and gas evolution, the resulting temperature distribution, the viscous deformation of the softened glass matrix, and the formation of the final cellular microstructure. At 900 °C, foam glass exhibited predominantly closed porosity (22.4-42.8%), with minimal open porosity (1.6-2.0%), indicating restricted pore growth due to the high viscosity of the glass matrix. Increasing the processing temperature to 950 °C significantly enhanced both total and closed porosity, reaching 66.4% and 63.2%, respectively, at 1.5 wt% PRCF, while maintaining low open porosity (∼3.2%), suggesting efficient gas entrapment and stable pore formation. Further increasing the temperature to 1000 °C promoted pore coalescence, reduced bulk density, and increased open porosity, which may compromise mechanical integrity. Thus, the combination of 1 wt% PRCF and 950 °C sintering temperature was determined to be optimal, offering a favorable balance of porosity, low density (∼1.07 g/cm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;), low thermal conductivity (0.13 W/m.K), and compressive resistance (1240.29 N). This optimized foam glass composition shows potential for construction and thermal insulation applications where low density, predominantly closed porosity, and sufficient mechanical response ","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43608-43622"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermodynamic performance study of the CLHG/MCFC combined cycle system with CO2 recovery","authors":"Qiujie Cheng,&nbsp;Yunlong Zhou,&nbsp;Mei Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Molten carbonate fuel cells have the advantages of flexible fuel, high power generation efficiency, and a strong ability to realize CO₂ capture, which can be combined with the chemical chain hydrogen cycle to realize the integration of hydrogen production and CO₂ separation. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid power system based on the combination of chemical chain hydrogen production and fuel cell, which can realize hydrogen production, power generation, CO₂ separation, and storage. We utilize the reaction mechanism of a molten carbonate a fuel cell to capture CO₂ and combine it with a CO₂ compression and storage system to reduce the carbon emissions of the integrated system. The system was analyzed for sensitivity, energy, and exergy. The results show that the carbon monomer generation becomes zero when the fuel stack temperature exceeds 943 K and the oxygen carrier to fuel flow ratio is 1.25. The system's output power was 382.6 kW, and the power generation efficiency was 52.48%, which is 3.98% higher compared to the fuel cell power generation system alone. The fuel cell has the highest exergy destruction of 167.63 kW in the whole system. The results of the study can provide ideas for the design of a carbon capture system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43517-43529"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Engineering polyindole/BaTiO3 nanocomposites with enhanced structural, optical, dielectric, electrical, and antibacterial properties","authors":"Fathima Afra Kuruniyan,&nbsp;M. Lahan,&nbsp;M.T. Ramesan","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polyindole (PIN)-based nanocomposites have sparked widespread interest in multifunctional electronic and dielectric applications; however, enhancing their electrical, dielectric, and thermal characteristics while maintaining structural stability remains a problem. In this study, polyindole (PIN)/barium titanate (BaTiO₃) nanocomposites containing various BaTiO₃ loadings were synthesised via in-situ oxidative polymerisation and to study the influence of ceramic nanofillers on their structural, thermal, dielectric, conductivity, and antibacterial properties. The integration of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles into the PIN matrix significantly changed the molecular interactions and interfacial properties of the polymer system. The effective integration and uniform dispersion of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles within the PIN matrix were verified by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and XPS studies. The direct and indirect optical bandgaps decreased from 3.028 to 2.872 eV and 2.956 to 2.841 eV, respectively, at 5 wt% BaTiO₃ loading. Thermal analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability and an increase in glass transition temperature due to enhanced polymer–ceramic interfacial interactions. Dielectric studies showed that the 5 wt% BaTiO₃ nanocomposite exhibited the highest dielectric constant and enhanced AC conductivity, which are attributed to effective interfacial polarization and uniform nanoparticle dispersion. These nanocomposites also showed slight enhancement in antibacterial activity against <em>Escherichia coli</em> compared with pristine PIN. The incorporation of BaTiO₃ significantly enhances the optical, thermal, antibacterial, electrical, and dielectric properties of PIN, demonstrating the benefits of the ceramic filler in improving the overall performance of the nanocomposites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43319-43335"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of raw materials in crystallization of Na2MSiO4 or M2SiO4 (M = Mg, Co) solid solutions from Na2Mg1-xCoxSiO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) compositions","authors":"M.A. Tena,&nbsp;Mohammed S.M. Abdelbaky,&nbsp;Camino Trobajo,&nbsp;Santiago García-Granda","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, Na₂Mg_1-xCo_xSiO₄ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) compositions were prepared. The structural characterization indicates the formation of solid solutions with the Na₂MSiO₄ (M = Mg, Co) orthorhombic structures from Na₂CO₃. The decomposition of Na₂CO₃ generates NaSiO₃ and at 1000 °C the Na₂MSiO₄ (M = Mg, Co) structures are obtained. From coprecipitation of aqueous suspensions using raw materials with chlorides, crystallizes NaCl which inhibits the formation of Na₂MSiO₄ (M = Mg, Co) structures and olivine structure is obtained at 1000 °C. In these compositions, the amount of cobalt is reduced with respect to Co₂SiO₄ and MgCoSiO₄ olivines. Coloration of these materials is intense Blue in materials prepared without chlorides or Blue-Violet in samples prepared with chlorides at 1000 °C (0.2 &lt; x ≤ 0.8). Colour of these materials is due to tetrahedral or octahedral Co(II) in Na₂MSiO₄ (M = Mg, Co) or M₂SiO₄ (M = Mg, Co). These fired phases were 2 % weight enamelled with a commercial glaze and the obtained blue materials are in accordance with the dissolution in glazes of the solid solutions containing only tetrahedral Co(II) ions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43101-43118"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crystal phase regulation toward CeVO4/(m-s/z-t) BiVO4 heterostructures for accelerated degradation of aquatic pollutants","authors":"Shengli Chen,&nbsp;Yangwen Xia,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Zhong,&nbsp;Fengyun Sun,&nbsp;Menghua Li,&nbsp;Lu Chen,&nbsp;Dong Liu,&nbsp;Shihu Han,&nbsp;Xiaodong Zhu,&nbsp;Chao Wan","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the challenges of high photogenerated carrier recombination rate and strong crystal phase dependence in monoclinic scheelite bismuth vanadate (m-s BiVO₄), this study demonstrates a crystal phase regulation strategy. By introducing tetragonal CeVO₄ via a hydrothermal method, we induced the phase transition of BiVO₄ from monoclinic scheelite (m-s) to zircon-tetragonal (z-t), constructing a CeVO₄/(m-s/z-t) BiVO₄ triphasic heterojunction composite. XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS characterizations confirmed that CeVO₄ incorporation altered the BiVO₄ phase ratio and established a three-phase interfacial coupling structure. Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated that the 1:4 CVO/BVO sample exhibited a first-order reaction rate constant (k = 0.02381 min⁻¹) 2.1 and 7.6 times that of pure BiVO₄ and pure CeVO₄, respectively. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and radical scavenger assays confirmed superoxide radicals (·O₂⁻) as the primary active species. A synergistic mechanism was proposed, where the n-p-n heterojunction's built-in electric field and mixed-phase synergy jointly promote charge separation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 42885-42896"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis of Ni@g-C3N4/CdS photocatalyst for enhanced charge separation and efficient photodegradation of methylene blue","authors":"Preeti Kumari,&nbsp;Gaurav Kumar Yogesh,&nbsp;Rungsima Yeetsorn,&nbsp;Kamlesh Yadav,&nbsp;Prakash Chand,&nbsp;Sahil Parashar,&nbsp;Muhammad Ilyas,&nbsp;Chandni Devi,&nbsp;Pankaj Koinkar","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The replacement of precious-metal-based photocatalysts with the most abundant and low-cost transition metals for wastewater treatment has become extremely crucial for human society. A very limited number of reports have extensively covered the role of inexpensive transition metal doping on the photocatalysis performance of carbon-supported transition metal chalcogenide photocatalysts. In this work, we have successfully synthesized six different compositions of Ni@g-C₃N₄/CdS nanocomposites for evaluating the role of Ni doping on photocatalysis performance. The morphological, structural, spectroscopic, and photocatalytic analysis of Ni@g-C₃N₄/CdS nanocomposites was extensively studied to corroborate the role of Ni doping in the improvement of photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MB dye from 85.2% to 99.8%. This significant enhancement arises due to the synergistic effect of various factors like efficient charge-carriers separation, increased lifetime of charge carriers, formation of defect states and increase in active surface area by Ni doping in g-C₃N₄/CdS nanocomposite. It is also established that Ni doping above 1.75 wt% leads to a significant drop in the photocatalytic performance of the as-synthesized catalyst materials. This strategy will pave the way for novel research in developing advanced photocatalysts for diverse pollutant degradation in wastewater treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 42917-42936"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic regulation of performance and mechanism of magnesium oxysulfate cement via a potassium dihydrogen phosphate and sodium malonate composite modifier","authors":"Shichao Xu,&nbsp;Hong Xu,&nbsp;Jiawen Hao,&nbsp;Kunjie Li,&nbsp;Ying Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The engineering application of low-carbon magnesium oxysulfate (MOS) cement is strictly limited by its intrinsic low mechanical strength and poor water resistance, originating from the preferential formation of metastable Mg(OH)₂. To resolve these limitations, this study constructs a dual-functional PD-SM composite strategy by coupling Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate (PD) with the pioneering novel modifier Sodium Malonate (SM). Systematic investigations reveal that the optimal formulation (2.0% PD + 1.5% SM) achieved a 28-day compressive strength of 88.8 MPa—representing a 179.4% increase over the unmodified control—along with a superior softening coefficient of 0.96 and minimized drying shrinkage (0.411%). Multi-scale characterization (XRD, XPS, SEM, etc.) elucidates a novel “Activation-Control” synergistic mechanism: PD acts as a selective activator by creating an acidic environment and providing Mg-P heterogeneous nucleation templates specifically for the 5·1·7 phase; simultaneously, SM functions as a kinetic controller by chelating free Mg²⁺ and adsorbing onto reactive surfaces to inhibit the rapid, chaotic precipitation of Mg(OH)₂. This synergy effectively decouples the inhibition of harmful phases from the promotion of beneficial phases, shifting the hydration pathway toward a dense, interwoven network of high-aspect-ratio 5·1·7 whiskers. This work provides a theoretical basis and a scalable technical route for the production of high-performance, durable magnesium-based cementitious materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 42834-42847"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gas-pressure assisted ultrafast high-temperature sintering of Si3N4 ceramics","authors":"Chengzhi Xu,&nbsp;Haiyuan Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaodong Li,&nbsp;Jiakai Cao,&nbsp;Lei Yang,&nbsp;Gang He","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fabrication of high density silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics by ultrafast high-temperature sintering remains challenges due to the decomposition of Si₃N₄ under high temperature at atmospheric pressure. Herein, a gas-pressure assisted ultrafast high-temperature sintering (G-UHS) was developed for the preparation of Si₃N₄ ceramics. The effects of sintering temperature (T), heating rate (HR), nitrogen pressure (P), holding time (t), and Y₂O₃-MgO composite sintering aids on the mass loss, oxygen content, phase evolution, and microstructure of Si₃N₄ ceramics were systematically investigated. The densification mechanism during ultrafast high-temperature sintering was further elucidated by thermodynamic analysis in terms of mass loss and oxygen content changes. It was found that under atmospheric pressure, the mass loss during the ultrafast high-temperature sintering process first originates from the decomposition of silicon oxynitride generated by the reaction between silicon oxide on the powder surface and internal Si₃N₄, followed by the direct decomposition of Si₃N₄. Increasing the gas pressure can effectively inhibit the decomposition of Si₃N₄ and the volatilization of liquid-phase sintering aids, thereby promoting the densification of Si₃N₄ ceramics. It was indicated that under ultrafast high-temperature sintering, the rapid formation of rod-like crystal structure by α/β phase transition through dissolution and precipitation inhibits particle rearrangement and restricts the densification of Si₃N₄ ceramics. Si₃N₄ ceramics with a relative density of 94.17% were successfully prepared under the optimal sintering conditions (sintering temperature 1750 °C, nitrogen pressure 0.2 MPa, heating rate 50 °C/s, holding time 180 s) with the addition of 4 wt% Y₂O₃ and 6 wt% MgO. This study can provide useful guidance for the optimization of the ultrafast high-temperature sintering process of high performance Si₃N₄ ceramics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 42666-42672"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new strategy for microstructural programming and toughening of α-SiC ceramics","authors":"Jin-zhao Zhou,&nbsp;Xiao-tong Jia,&nbsp;Xing-wang Cheng,&nbsp;Zhao-hui Zhang,&nbsp;Qiang Wang,&nbsp;Wen-jun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.253","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.253","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Achieving both high densification and intrinsic toughening remains a fundamental challenge for SiC and other strongly covalent ceramics. A new strategy is proposed to promote the densification of SiC ceramics via spark plasma sintering. The direct addition of uncrosslinked polysilazane (PSZ) into 6H-SiC powders introduces nitrogen (N) during pyrolysis, which may locally modify the chemical environment and may be associated with changes in the relative stability of α-SiC polytypes and the observed 6H-SiC→4H-SiC transformation. This transformation is accompanied by anisotropic grain growth and controllable microstructural evolution from equiaxed to columnar grains, resulting in the formation of interlocking structures. By adjusting the PSZ content, both fine equiaxed and interlocking microstructures exhibit high fracture toughness (∼6.9 MPa m^1/2), representing an improvement of approximately 72.5% compared with monolithic SiC (∼4 MPa m^1/2). This strategy provides an effective solid-state sintering route for microstructural design and mechanical enhancement in strongly covalent ceramics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":267,"journal":{"name":"Ceramics International","volume":"52 24","pages":"Pages 43662-43672"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149071903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}